IRETA Blog: Women Have Been Particularly Affected By the War on Drugs, Part II

“How can we use what we know about women and the War on Drugs to create real drug policy reform?

In our first installment about women, addiction, and the criminal justice system, we shared some stark facts about the impact of “War on Drugs” policies on American women. Here are two:

The number of women in prison has grown by over 800% in the past three decades. The female prison population grew by 832% from 1977 to 2007. The male prison population grew 416% during the same time period.

Two thirds of women in prison are there for non-violent offenses, many for drug-related crimes. In the 10-year period from 1999 to 2008, arrests of women for drug violations increased 19%, compared to 10% for men.

This blog addresses three ways to make drug policy reform matter to women.